Secondary School Timetable Design Options - Cyberimpact
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Secondary School
Timetable Design Options
Considerations for Trustees When Forming District Policies
Overview
On July 29, 2020, all secondary school leadership teams and staff faced the challenge of
instituting the direction of the BC PHO to organize learning cohorts for the fall 2020 school
opening. Working within these guidelines, in just five weeks, secondary school leadership teams
and staff in the province re-designed school timetables around learning cohorts with fewer
classes for longer periods of time. There were benefits, such as teachers working with fewer
students, but also challenges for all involved.
LOOKING AHEAD
With vaccines becoming available in the province for K-12 staff, the school opening of fall 2021
presents some interesting challenges and opportunities. With more time to plan and think
deeply about our secondary schools, we have the opportunity as a province to take advantage
of this time of flux to redesign aspects of secondary school learning.
While a decision on whether or not learning cohorts will be required by the BC PHO for the fall
of 2021 has yet to be finalized, there are other considerations for change that boards and senior
district staff will want to consider. Timetables are presently being established for next year, so
we can apply lessons learned from this past year, as well as other experiences and research, to
choose and implement approaches that best fit local needs exclusive of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Many staff had already been thinking about curriculum transformation and how to structure
secondary school learning differently prior to the impact of COVID-19. Around the province
considering student voice, collaborative structures such as co-teaching, co-planning, and
approaches including inquiry, interdisciplinary and place-based learning are examples of
already well-developed strategies in some secondary schools. This may be an opportunity to do
more. Provincially we have a requirement to report the outcomes of students who have been
disadvantaged in our schools: children in care, Indigenous students, students acquiring English
and students with special needs.
Imagine the possibilities that this period of “recovery” and this moment where change is required
could represent – a chance to think hard again about what these groups of students and all
students post-pandemic require – and a time to transform our education system so that we free
up our staff to do their best work, together, in consultation with students and families.
1
TAKING ACTION
As trustees across this province, now is the time to ask questions and work together with our
system leaders to improve secondary education. Included at the end of this document are
additional resources.
• A report from Dean Shareski that was prepared for Metro Vancouver school districts that
highlights considerations for secondary schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A research article from the University of Calgary, published in the Canadian Journal of
Educational Administration and Policy, that focused on redesigning secondary schools
for improvement and the process required for that work to be meaningful.
A table of the traditional ways to organize secondary schools with a brief description of the
strengths and weaknesses of each model is included in this document under the
semester/linear/quarter comparison heading.
We know that students are impacted by the structure of our secondary schools. We see this
impact – heightened for students in care, students with special needs, Indigenous students and
students acquiring English – reflected in school district results in a number of ways – lower rates
of transition to post-secondary, graduation rates, literacy and numeracy results and enrolment in
courses that lead to post-secondary, for example.
As senior staff make recommendations about secondary school redesign/timetables/structures
for this fall and moving forward, we should be thinking back to the transformation agenda
introduced with the B.C. redesigned provincial curriculum and, more recently, since March of
2020 when we experimented with ways to best support students at home and then returned
students to a cohort-structured system.
We should not lose the opportunity to think about secondary school education – where it is
strong and where it has not served students well.
FOCUSING ON STUDENT SUCCESS
When students were asked about their experiences during the pandemic, they offered some
important perspectives which helped us to improve their experience this year.
Copernican or quarter, semester or linear, in-class learning or remote learning, these structures
and the many variations all have strengths and weaknesses and have been in play in the
dialogue about secondary school instruction for decades. What can be done to move the
dialogue forward – to work with all students more effectively?
2
Viewpoints from the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD)
We know that schools that are improving show care and deep regard for both the experience of
students and staff. Improving schools is not ‘one-size-fits-all,’ but rather requires an approach
where principles of learning (identified by the OECD for the purpose of this exercise) guide
efforts to respond effectively to all learners – which inevitably means knowing the strengths and
the learning challenges of our students and building their programming using that knowledge.
Each principle of learning is relevant for students, but there is a corollary statement which is
relevant to our staff which equally requires careful consideration. It is not enough to consider
only students in the equation – just as schools cannot be organized solely with the adults in
mind.
OECD PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
1. Learners at the centre
2. The social nature of learning
3. Emotions are integral to learning
4. Recognition of individual differences
5. Stretching all students without excessive overload
6. Assessment for learning
7. Building horizontal connectedness
OECD RESOURCES
• The OECD Handbook for Innovative Learning Environments
• The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice
3
Guiding Questions
What follows are some suggested questions that boards of education, senior staff and school
staff could consider regarding how secondary schools are structured based on the broad OECD
principles of learning.
LEARNERS AT THE CENTRE
Students learn at different rates and in different ways. Key to their success as learners is their
active engagement in learning.
1. How are we accommodating the needs of students who need more/less time to engage
in and to master learning? Do they have opportunities to engage in and demonstrate
their learning in a variety of ways (i.e, Universal Design for Learning)?
2. How are we supporting recently graduated new teachers who may have had very limited
practicum experiences during the pandemic (little experience with classroom
management, structuring a number of learning experiences/lesson planning for longer
periods of time, supporting students with complex needs, learning outdoors, etc.)?
THE SOCIAL NATURE OF LEARNING
During stage two, many students felt deprived of social interactions due to the tightness of
COVID-19 health and safety procedures. Learning is deeper and richer when students have
opportunities to engage with one another
1. How will we support staff to ensure that the social nature of learning (group
work/collaborative teams/partners/etc.) is a strong and thoughtfully implemented aspect
of the fall 2021 experience?
2. How can we build communities of learners with students in class and/or virtually?
3. How can we encourage schools and educators to prioritize interactive learning where
students have the opportunity to share their perspectives, cultures and background
knowledge for the betterment of all learners?
EMOTIONS ARE INTEGRAL TO LEARNING
One of the most important aspects of teaching during the pandemic was to attend to students’
emotional states. Students need to feel safe, welcome, and valued to engage in lasting and
meaningful learning. SEL (social emotional learning) strategies to reduce stress in classrooms
need to be built into our planning.
1. How will we support teachers to incorporate SEL strategies into curriculum – with
flexibility and especially in the recovery period?
2. How can we embed specialized supports for students who have experienced trauma?
What do we have in place?
4
RECOGNITION OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Learners have diverse needs and learning in diverse ways. A single mode of instruction will not
meet everyone’s needs.
1. How are we supporting equity of access to quality instruction and elective areas?
2. How are we building support into classrooms and the school day for students to access
them proactively?
STRETCHING ALL STUDENTS WITHOUT EXCESSIVE OVERLOAD
Student thrive when educators believe in them and have high expectations. Students need to be
able to meet these expectations without being overextended.
1. Are we structuring regular check-ins with all students – to understand the stress they
experience and to help alleviate it?
2. Do we have structures and strategies in place to have staff connect regularly with our
most vulnerable students, ensuring they are able to engage in learning?
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Formative assessment is one of the most effective ways to engage students in their learning
and to help them build competence over time.
1. Are assessment practices varied and mainly formative?
2. Are departments and school staffs engaging in assessment for learning conversations?
3. How have we engaged students in competency-based learning? Do they have
opportunities to self-assess, set goals, and demonstrate growth over time?
BUILDING HORIZONTAL CONNECTEDNESS
Secondary schools can be difficult for students to navigate, especially students from
marginalized communities.
1. Does every student feel known and cared for at school?
2. Do teachers work in teams and connect with each other to plan for and support all
learners?
3. Where are there options/opportunities for cross-disciplinary connections/learning?
5
Semester/Linear/Quarter Comparison
The following table serves to highlight the potential impact on students and staff when making
decisions regarding timetable options. This is a subjective overview and opinions may vary.
TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
Positive impact on
Significant negative
student learning in Greatest negative
impact on courses
courses that are impact on courses that
that benefit from
best done over time benefit from learning
learning over time
(e.g. music, over time (e.g.
(e.g. languages,
languages). languages, music,
music, reading).
Overall Academic Limitations on the reading). Can more
Can more easily
Performance length of classes so easily accommodate
accommodate
does not longer classes (e.g. 2.5
longer classes (e.g.
accommodate hours) which may
2.5 hours) which
practical arts and benefit practical arts
may benefit practical
lab based courses and lab based courses
arts and lab based
well (especially at the most.
courses the most.
the sr. level).
September / September / November
Entry/Exit Points September only
February / February / April
Little opportunity for
Students would have a
advancement within
greater opportunity to
Allows for students the school year.
take advanced courses
to advance in Acceleration in
(examples: Calculus or
Course specific discipline schools with linear
AP courses) by taking
Acceleration areas (example: timetables is usually
multiple progressive
taking Ma 11 and accomplished
courses in the same
Ma 12 in Gr. 11). through external
year (math 11 > 12 >
programming (e.g.
calculus).
virtual).
6
TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
Initial course
Initial course selection
selection and Initial course
and timetabling done
timetabling done selection and
before September, but
before September, timetabling done
Course Selection / can accommodate
but can before September,
Change quarterly changes in
accommodate mid- with little or no
Opportunities November, January
year changes in opportunity for
and April (assuming
January (assuming change during the
staffing availability and
staffing availability school year.
flexibility).
and flexibility).
Accessing District
The majority of external
Dual Credit
The majority of Dual Credit programs
programs (college /
external Dual Credit Very limited or no start February 1 so can
BCIT); Secondary
programs start opportunity for be accommodated.
School
February 1 so can participation. This may, however,
Apprenticeship and
be accommodated. vary from district to
other Career/Life
district.
Program options
Linear timetable
Semester timetables classes are Quartermester
Students
can provide longer traditionally of timetables traditionally
scheduling Work
blocks of time to shorter duration and provide the longest
Experience or
schedule thus cannot blocks of time to
volunteering in
community-based accommodate schedule community-
community
activities. community-based based activities.
activities.
Schools with
specialty programs Schools with specialty
may be able to Schools with programs may be able
benefit financially by specialty programs to benefit financially by
Specialty Programs including students only have one entry including students from
and Distance from other districts point with no other districts or the
Learning or the independent opportunity to independent schools
schools through attract outside through their potentially
their two entry times clientele mid-year. four entry times each
(September / year.
February).
7
TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
There is no There is no
advantage of one advantage of one
There is no advantage
timetable over timetable over
of one timetable over
another for students another for students
another for students
who transfer schools who transfer
who transfer schools
during the year IF schools during the
Accessing during the year IF both
both schools are on year IF both schools
programs at other schools are on the
the same form of are on the same
schools during the same form of timetable.
timetable. For this form of timetable.
year For this reason, many
reason, many For this reason,
districts often
districts often many districts often
standardize timetable
standardize standardize
formats across all of
timetable formats timetable formats
their schools.
across all of their across all of their
schools. schools.
During extended
absences
(provincials’ During extended
During extended
championships, absences (provincials
absences
tours, etc.), students championships, tours,
(provincials
miss more time per etc.), students miss the
Extra-Curricular championships,
course than on a most time per course,
Activities tours, etc.),
linear system, but but course selection
students miss the
course selection and and scheduling can
least amount of time
scheduling can sometimes be adjusted
per course.
sometimes be to match absences.
adjusted to match
absences.
Specific programs Specific programs such
Curricular
such as Performing as Performing Arts,
Performing Arts,
Arts, Recreational Recreational
Recreational
Leadership and Leadership and
Co-curricular Leadership,
Physical Education Physical Education
Courses and School Physical Education
courses may be courses may be limited
Culture and other courses
limited to a single to a single quarter
are held throughout
semester (especially (especially in smaller
the year.
in smaller schools). schools).
8
TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
Teachers will have 3 Teachers will have
Teachers will only have
or 4 classes during 7 classes for the full
Teacher to Student 1 or 2 classes per
each semester (75 – year (approximately
contacts quarter (25-50 students
100 students 175 students
usually).
usually). usually).
Daily (4 classes
each day) or Alternating days Daily (2 classes per day
Weekly contact with
alternating day (2 (usually 4 classes every day for the
teachers
classes each per alternating day). quarter).
alternating day).
Four block rotation Eight block full year
Number of Course limits the number of rotation can mean Teachers have only 1
Preps (per teacher teacher course teachers to have up or 2 course preps per
at one time) preps to 3 or 4 per to 7 course preps at quarter.
semester. one time.
Teachers usually
Teachers usually
receive prep in only Teachers usually
receive a prep block for
Teacher Preparation one semester have a prep every
only one quarter or one
Time (unless there is other day for the full
semester if there is
teacher course year.
teacher course sharing.
sharing).
Semestered prep
provides some
Full year time spans
opportunities for Shorter time spans may
Collegial may limit
collegial limit opportunities for
Collaboration opportunities for
collaboration within staff collaboration.
staff collaboration.
school and between
schools.
May provide an
Teachers enabled to
opportunity for teachers
potentially provide Teachers less able
with specialty programs
instruction in more to provide
Teacher Mobility to offer these courses
than one school per instruction in more
to students in various
year by moving at than one facility.
facilities by moving at
semester change.
the quarter.
9
TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
Textbooks, etc. can Textbooks and other
Textbooks, etc. can
Use of Teaching be utilized twice per learning resources can
only be utilized
Resources school year (i.e. by be used up to four
once per year.
two students). times per school year.
Anecdotally seen as Anecdotally seen as
Anecdotally seen as best meeting the best meeting the needs
the reasonable needs of students of students and
Quality vs Quantity compromise to meet and programs with programs with a
of student leaning the needs of all an academic focus. practical arts focus.
students and Seen as providing Seen as providing the
programs. the best overall best overall quantity of
quality of learning. learning options.
Usually
Usually approximately 75
approximately 75 minutes per class (4
minutes per class (4 classes per day on Usually approximately
Time span of
classes per day) or alternating days). 150 minutes per class
individual classes
150 minutes (2 Historically there twice daily.
classes per day were examples of 5
alternating). or 6 short blocks
per day.
The effectiveness of
learning
opportunities will Shorter class times
Longer class times may
depend on chosen may not be effective
Effectiveness of be effective for project
length of class. for project work but
Class Time for work but may be
Longer class times may be more
Intense Learning sustainable for effective
(e.g. 2.5 hrs.) may effective for intense
Opportunities for intense learning
be difficult (i.e. less learning
opportunities.
effective) for classes opportunities.
such as band, PE
and math.
Teachers and Teachers and
Teachers and students
students have a 5 students have a 10
Time to get to know have a 2.5 month time
month time span to month time span to
each other span to get to know
get to know each get to know each
each other.
other. other.
10TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
Available Only available for one
Only available for
Learning throughout the quarter unless double-
one semester
Assistance / school year within a blocked or outside of
unless double-
Remedial Help for single block. Offers the school day. Little
blocked or outside
students the most time to time to ‘catch up’ if
of the school day.
‘catch-up.’ behind.
Students Students
traditionally receive traditionally receive Students traditionally
Reporting for two formal report three or four formal receive only one formal
Students cards per course report cards per report per course (end
(mid and end course (sequential point) with an informal
points). and end points). update at the mid-point.
While articulation
with AP (easier) and
Articulates best with Articulation with AP and
IB (more difficult)
AP and IB programs IB programs is
programs is
AP and IB as the majority of possible, but with
possible, it still
considerations class time is significant challenges
provides some
completed before and required changes
challenges
exams. to the timetable.
especially in the
second semester.
Provides students
Provides students and teachers the Provides students and
and teachers a greatest flexibility teachers the least
balance of flexibility (time wise) to deal flexibility (time wise) to
Student and (time wise and with unforeseen deal with unforeseen
Teacher Absences current courses) to absences, although absences, although
deal with after they must deal with they only have to deal
unforeseen the greatest number with the fewest number
absences. of courses in doing of courses in doing so.
so.
Students may
Students may complete
complete course, All students
course, grades and
grades and generally complete
Student Grade graduation
graduation course, grades and
Completion and requirements at any
requirements at graduation
Graduation one of four times
either of two times requirements at the
through the school
through the school same time.
year.
year.
11TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
Most often parents Anecdotally - More
prefer the timetable Anecdotally - More often preferred by
they were in as a often preferred by parents who believe
student, or the parents who believe their children are
Parent preference
timetable their children are struggling in school or
traditionally provided going to university / going on to a practical
by their children’s academic program. arts / hands-on
school. program.
Very often teachers Anecdotally - More
Anecdotally - More
prefer the timetable often preferred by
often preferred by
they are most teachers who are
teachers who are
Teacher preference familiar with (i.e. the teaching practical arts
teaching university
one they have the classes or those
bound / academic
most experience classes with activities
classes.
with). or field trips.
Some opportunity
for districts to
Greatest opportunity for
reduce school Little or no
districts to reduce
staffing (costs) over opportunity for
school staffing (costs)
the school year districts to reduce
over the school year (3
(mid-year) as school staffing
Potential School times) as student
student numbers (costs) over the
District Cost numbers decline. There
decline. There may school year. Less
Savings may also be a cost
also be a cost opportunity to
saving as lower
saving as lower reduce the overall
numbers of textbooks
numbers of number of
and other learning
textbooks and other textbooks required.
resources are required.
learning resources
are required.
Local clauses in the
There are usually Local clauses in the
teacher (and
no conflicts with the teacher (and support
support staff)
collective staff) collective
Collective collective agreement
agreement as agreement may limit
Agreement may limit flexibility
changes during the flexibility (on staffing,
considerations (on staffing,
school year are assignment and/or prep
assignment and/or
generally not time) during the school
prep time) during
possible. year.
the school year.
12TOPIC SEMESTER LINEAR QUARTERMESTER
Greatest
Greater opportunity May limit opportunities
opportunity to
to accommodate to accommodate
accommodate
Accommodating student teachers student teachers,
student teachers
Student Teachers especially for especially for shorter
especially for
shorter and/or part- and/or part-time
shorter and/or part-
time experiences. experiences.
time experiences.
Moderate need for
Maximizes the need for
‘turn around’ time
Minimizes the need ‘turnaround’ time
between reporting
for ‘turnaround’ time between reporting
Turnaround time periods or class
between reporting periods or class
preferences changes (which can
periods or class changes, which may
take away from
changes. take away from overall
overall student
learning time.
learning time).
May more easily May better May more easily
School Size, Grade accommodate larger accommodate accommodate larger
Span and Mobility homogeneous but smaller, more homogeneous but
Considerations more transient diverse and stable fluctuating school
school populations. school populations. populations.
13Additional Resources
PANDEMIC SHIFTS
CONSIDERATIONS FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Prepared by: Dean Shareski
Educational Consultant
HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN:
CARNEGIE UNIT AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
Prepared by: Barbara Brown, Gabriela Alonso-Yanez, Sharon Friesen and Michele Jacobsen
University of Calgary
14Pandemic Shifts
Considerations for British Columbia
Secondary Schools
PREPARED BY:
Dean Shareski
PREPARED FOR:
Vancouver Metro School Districts
April 8, 2021Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 01 Working Groups 06 Scheduling 07 Assessment 11 Blended Learning 16 Wellness 20 Additional Resources 26
Introduction
Just over a year ago the world got sick. No one was exempt from
this disruption including and perhaps especially schools.
References to this pandemic almost need not be shared as we’re
still very much in it and have heard, read and watched more
stories about all that’s happened ad nauseam. And yet, its impact
is impossible to ignore and particularly among those with
influence and privilege, there is an appetite to explore what good
might come out of this epic world event.
Education has been talking about disruption for a long time. Most
recently, the disruption conversation has been fueled by
technology and as we’ve seen our world change dramatically as a
result of the Internet, mobile phones, artificial intelligence and
more, schools have been trying to figure out what that means for
them. In the short term, education has been full participants in
this disruption if only in terms of increased devices and
accessibility. Still far from equitable, it would appear to have
taken hold as an accepted means of delivering content as well as
the ability to create content. The debate continues as to whether
or not the experience of children has dramatically been improved
or shifted. Futurists have tried to gauge the impact of all this as
well. Christensen, Horn and Johnson, authors of Disrupting Class,
boldly made this claim a decade ago:
We believe that by the year 2019 half of all classes for grades K-12 will
be taught online… The rise of online learning carries with it an
unprecedented opportunity to transform the schooling system into a
student-centric one that can affordably customize for different student
needs by allowing all students to learn at their appropriate pace and
path, thereby allowing each student to realize his or her fullest potential
01In 2019, we would have dismissed this as folly even though online and virtual learning did increase, specifically in high
schools, K-12 education in Canada was under 6% online. And yet 2 years later we might feel quite comfortable saying that
Unbox
by many measures, particularly referencing the spring of 2020, 100% of grades in K-12 were taught online. Seismic shifts of
this nature don’t come from well-thought-out arguments or even glaring needs. It came because of a global pandemic. For
better or worse, most people experienced some type of forced change. While complaints and struggles were real,
resistance was less of a factor as most people accepted and even embraced this and even saw an opportunity.
Of immediate concern was not how children will continue learning, but how children and families and all people would
survive and be cared for. Schools quickly mobilized around the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) efforts that have been
part of the school experience since well before COVID-19. This mindset and perspective was a product of years of work
and focus in many jurisdictions and particularly in British Columbia. From the onset, the focus of school would be to ensure
that children were safe and cared for. Academics took a back seat and even as school transitioned to some face-to-face
learning in June of 2020, it was not about ramping up and focusing on the curriculum but maintaining and in some cases
enhancing the SEL work that had been established.
02During this time, many reflected on both the strengths of the system to respond in the most ethical, equitable manner
but also saw where inequities lie. Whether it was a lack of devices and access to technology or seeing the impact of
poverty or witnessing firsthand the challenges of family dynamics, educators were getting a Master's class in equity. Yet
amongst all those who struggled, some did thrive. Perhaps not the majority but it became an interesting study into why
certain students seemed to be doing well when others were doing so poorly. There was no conclusive data that emerged
but through conversations, observations and surveys, we discovered many students liked autonomy. Some liked setting
more of their own schedule. Others saw efficiency in completing work. Some, who struggled in social settings, found
respite in their homes. Younger students in some cases were able to spend more time outdoors and were able to be
more active than they had been in school. With a decreased emphasis on time and curriculum, teachers that shifted to
more project-driven and student-directed learning found students who appreciated the opportunity to pursue their own
learning more. These were the stories and moments that made many educators consider “what if...:?”
What if we could do school differently?
What if students had more control over time?
What if we adjusted the schedule to better meet their needs?
What if we spent more time outdoors or paid even more attention to
well-being?
What if we assessed and structured learning to allow more
autonomy?
These powerful questions were happening everywhere but in most cases took a back seat to the continued efforts to
survive. No one could be blamed for focusing on the immediate needs because that was job one. However, for many
progressive and inquisitive educators and leaders, the ability to see past the present and consider the future and its
possibilities is what makes them effective leaders.
British Columbia is filled with these kinds of leaders. They exist in every school and district office in the province. BC
is highly regarded around the world for its innovative curriculum and success on many other measures. But what
makes them great is that they do not rest on their laurels or work to maintain the status quo. What makes British
Columbia the envy of many other provinces and states and countries is a culture of innovation in pursuit of a world-
class education that evolves and adapts to the needs of children.
03It was with this spirit and understanding that over 200 high school principals, vice-principals and district leaders met in the
spring of 2020. These 2-hour sessions featured leaders from over 10 metro Vancouver area school districts and allowed
participants to share their experiences, compare notes and consider the current struggles and the implications of more
permanent change. This initial meeting was largely to lay the groundwork for what any future gatherings might entail. From
the immediate and urgent questions like “how will we handle graduation?” to the longer-term wonderings like “How might
we increase the opportunities for students to learn virtually?” Beyond the specifics of these various conversations, it was
clear the appetite to learn with and from each other was evident. The convenience and structure of online meetings proved
effective and allowed for continued discussion. This group met 3 more times in the fall of 2020 to once again address the
immediate needs of high schools but also to begin to seek out the practices and lessons learned from the pandemic that
might be maintained and amplified as sustained shifts that truly impact student learning and outcomes.
Participants
268 13 196 72
Unique attendees Districts Represented Principals/VPs District Leadership
While attendance at these meetings ranged from a high of 233 to a low of 157, it was time to narrow the scope of the
conversations and seek to dive deeper into some selected themes. It was at this point all attendees received an invitation
that came with a caveat: The next phase of this work would require some additional time and effort. The goal was to create
this white paper that would share some specific findings around 4 themes:
Scheduling, Blended Learning, Assessment and Wellness
These themes were chosen as they consistently emerged as topics that school leaders saw being shaped by the pandemic
and had the opportunity to truly impact student success. Thirty-four individuals chose to take on these themes. It was
determined they would seek data from as many participating districts, schools and individuals as possible. It was agreed to
early on that this work would not be classified as “research” in the purest sense, however, gaining input from as many
districts as possible would begin to shine a light on trends and practices that could provide insight into considerations and
actions moving forward. It is also acknowledged that this work was completed over less than a 3 month period but having it
completed in early spring, it may provide support for districts in implementing change for the 2021-22 school year.
04The following work represents hundreds of hours of work collecting and analyzing data and provides not so much
recommendations as consideration for districts to use in decision making around these 4 areas. It is the goal of
this committee that this work is the start of even greater efforts for individual districts and schools. Much of the
findings will likely confirm some of your hunches or beliefs but others may challenge you to dig deeper and work
harder to make the necessary shifts. This brief is an invitation to reflect on your experiences and align them with
your district's needs to enhance learner agency as you consider some potentially bold innovations.
05Working Groups
Scheduling
Name District Position
Jeannette Laursoo Burnaby Assistant Superintendent
Ian Kennedy West Vancouver Director of Instruction
Michael Finch West Vancouver Principal
Aaron Davis Vancouver Director of Instruction
Chris Sandor Burnaby Vice-Principal Assessment
Brooke Haller Chilliwack Principal
Name District Position
Chris Nicholson Sea to Sky Assistant Superintendent
George Kozlovic Langley District Principal
Annette Vey-Chilton Vancouver Principal
Jennifer Towers West Vancouver Vice-Principal
Justin Wong North Vancouver Vice-Principal
Elizabeth Taylor Richmond District Administrator
Dauvery Macdonald Richmond Vice-Principal
Lynn Archer Richmond Assistant Superintendent
Tuzar Irani Richmond Vice-Principal
John Crowley North Vancouver Vice-Principal
Lee Ann Kristmanson Burnaby Principal
Greg Hockley North Vancouver Vice-Principal
Blended Learning
Name District Position
Wellness
Sean Nosek West Vancouver Associate Superintendent
Name District Position
Alison Ogden Vancouver Director of Instruction
Diane Nelson West Vancouver Director of Instruction
Ryan Fullerton Vancouver Vice-Principal
Herj Ghaug Richmond Vice-Principal
Paul Bernard Chilliwack Vice-Principal
Adrienne Goulas Richmond Vice-Principal
Tim Wozney Burnaby Principal
Nik Nashlund Richmond Vice-Principal
Brandon Curr Burnaby Director of Instruction
Avivia Vaughan Richmond Vice-Principal
Magdy Ghobrial Langley District Principal
Meghan Downie North Vancouver Vice-Principal
Nolan Cox Sea to Sky District Principal
Lester Leung Richmond Vice-Principal
06Scheduling
Prior to the pandemic, schools predominantly scheduled
courses in a linear system with students taking 8 courses
at a time. Courses fell over two days with 4 courses
scheduled each day and were typically 80 minutes long.
More than half of the school districts had schools that
offered the semester system in addition to schools that
offered the linear system. A semester system consisted of
4 classes per day, which were typically 80 minutes long.
During the pandemic and at the start of the 2020-2021
school year, the BC Ministry of Education implemented a
BC Education Restart Plan with a five-stage approach for
resuming in-class instruction. School districts began the
school year in Stage 2 of this plan, which required districts
to implement a schedule to meet the following guidelines:
Cohort or Learning Group sizes of 60 for Middle Schools and 120 for Secondary Schools
Full-time instruction for all students for the maximum instructional time possible within cohort limits
Self-directed learning supplements in-class instruction, if required
Due to the five-stage approach for resuming in-class instruction, schools created schedules, which allowed for shifts to be
easily made should there be a change in the stages. As a result of the guidelines, schools moved from their pre-pandemic
linear or semester systems to a quarter system for the 2020-2021 school year. In the quarter system, two courses were
scheduled for 10 weeks at a time. Students typically took one course in the morning and one course in the afternoon. The
quarter system enabled secondary schools to schedule students in learning group sizes of less than 120 students. It also
reduced the number of courses students needed to focus on at one time, which feedback has shown to be helpful during the
pandemic. In some cases, schools continued to run linear courses, such as Band and Advanced Placement Courses outside
of the timetable while maintaining health and safety guidelines.
07To maintain a variety of course elective offerings within a quarter system that is created with learning groups in mind,
some schools offered blended or hybrid classes. For these classes, half of the students had in-person instruction for
their class one day while the other half worked online. The group of students switched regularly. Some schools offered
blended courses throughout the entire day and others offered them in the afternoon only. The grade levels in which
blended courses were offered also varied by district with some districts providing blended courses for students in
grades 9 or 10 through grade 12 while others provided these courses to all secondary students in grades 8-12. The most
prevalent model seemed to be Grade 8 and 9 students attending 100% in-person in their learning group and Grades 10-12
students attending in-person in their learning group for their morning class and attending a blended or hybrid class in the
afternoon.
Flexible student support time was also included in some school schedules. Flexible student support time provided
students with opportunities for additional support with their courses, including learning support and English language
learning support.
The Scheduling Working Group consisted of members from the following school districts: Chilliwack SD 33, Richmond SD
38, Vancouver SD 39, Burnaby SD 41, North Vancouver SD 44, West Vancouver SD 45, and Sea to Sky SD 48. Members of
the scheduling working group focused on the sharing of schedules and timetables used by schools in their district during
the pandemic. Schools and districts gathered information from their community regarding the benefits and challenges of
the schedules they implemented this past school year. From the feedback that schools and districts received from
students, staff, and parents, the working group identified key takeaways to support their planning for the 2021-2022
school year.
Positive Outcomes
· Focusing on 2 courses in a quarter is easier to manage.
· Longer classes in the quarter system are beneficial for some students/staff.
· Having a quarter system with some classes being hybrid has given students the
opportunity to continue to take a variety of core and elective courses.
· Flexible student support time to support students in their learning is beneficial.
· In-person instruction is preferable for student learning.
· Blended/hybrid learning was preferable for some students.
08Key Takeaways
· The condensed schedule of a quarter system is difficult for some students if
they have two challenging courses in one quarter.
· Students miss out on the gradual building of skills due to the courses being
10 weeks long.
· Students can fall behind more rapidly in the quarter system when absent
for an extended time.
· Placement of courses in timetables from year to year can lead to large gaps
in time between courses, such as Math.
· Prep time was a concern for some in a quarter system, as prep time was
typically scheduled for one quarter.
In planning for the 2021-2022 school year,
school districts have been closely following
updates regarding the BC Provincial Health
Orders and their impact on the return to in-
school instruction. School districts are generally
planning for a quarter system if BC continues to
be in Stage 2. If the Province is in Stage 1,
schools and school districts are considering the
quarter, semester, linear, and octet systems.
The semester system is being strongly
considered as it provides greater ease to move
to a quarter system, if a shift to Stage 2 occurs
again. Should schools need to start the school
year with the quarter system, some are
considering moving to a semester system for the
second half of the year, if possible.
09Districts now face the challenge of preparing for continued uncertainty but also need to consider the feedback received
in creating the most optimal learning environment for students. We have seen how time and scheduling can impact
students both positively and negatively. It must be noted as well that all the data collected needs to be seen as
somewhat insufficient simply due to the relatively short and complicated way in which it was implemented. However, it
does appear some clear trends emerged and here are the key considerations districts should review as they plan for the
future of their secondary schools:
Considerations
· Ways to support the diverse learning needs of students
· What the best time of day is to have flex time, X block, or flexible student support time
· Incorporation of collaboration time for the sharing of teaching practices and ideas
· The number of classes to place in the schedule each day - 2 or 4
· Ways to schedule linear prep time and offer linear courses to best support student
learning in a semester/quarter system.
· When incorporation of specialty programs including academies and Train in Trades
programs
It is the recommendation of the scheduling working group for schools and school districts to consider the key
takeaways from the feedback collected and shared. It is also recommended for schools to collaboratively develop a
schedule, which best meets the needs of their students, staff, and parents while keeping in mind some of the
considerations listed.
10Assessment
Assessment and evaluation practices and policies have a long history in British Columbia. These have ranged from
traditional reporting practices with a focus on summative judgements to innovative assessment practices and supports
such as performance standards and valuing classroom formative assessment. In particular, since the introduction of the
redesigned curriculum K-9 and then 10-12, the focus has been on classroom assessment rather than external assessments.
While the policies and curriculum design have moved toward valuing classroom assessment as a means of enhancing
student learning, many educators’ assessment practices have not moved significantly from being mainly summative to
being mainly formative.
Educators’ typical practices regarding curriculum and assessment came to a dramatic halt last March when our schools
were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly everything was new. Most educators had not taught in a remote
learning structure. Planning for learning needed to focus on essential learning. Traditional content-driven instruction and
evaluation needed to shift.
What were the big ideas?
Which curricular competencies were most important?
How was learning going to be assessed when students were not onsite?
Every district drew on existing resources and created new resources to support teachers
adapt to teaching and learning during a Pandemic. Very quickly last spring, assessment
became an area of attention as secondary educators were concerned about how to
assess remote learning and how to use professional judgement to make final decisions
about learning progress. These concerns have continued this year, particularly for
students in grades 10 - 12 as they are not onsite 100% of the time. After reviewing the
assessment resources from various Metro school districts, it is evident that everyone is
currently in process on this journey and we need to continue to support the development
and deepening of formative assessment pedagogy and practice. This is also timely as
the Ministry of Education is in the early stages of developing a draft K-12 Reporting
Policy that will shape the workaround assessment that will need to continue across
districts.
11The assessment samples from different districts have been categorized below for educators to review, adapt, and use.
Most of all, through sharing and networking, the goal is for everyone to learn from our COVID-19 experiences to continue to
drive learning and assessment forward post-pandemic.
Guiding Principles of Assessment - to assist with the ongoing work towards more innovative assessment practices, a
number of schools and school districts have developed Guiding Principles of Assessment for their district to guide this
work. Below are four examples from four different districts. The commonalities between all four examples are the need
for assessment to be clear, inclusive, intentional, student-centred, relational, reflective, responsive and transparent.
Guiding Principles of Assessment - Vancouver School District
Guiding Principles of Assessment - Langley School District
Guiding Principles of Assessment - Richmond School District
Guiding Principles of Assessment - West Vancouver School District
Planning for Learning and Assessment - the documents below provide teachers with tools that help them with planning for
both learning and assessment in mind. With reductions in time for face-to-face instruction as well as shortened learning
periods with the quarter system, many teachers are looking for ways to focus on essential learning outcomes and
standards. The documents below focus on helping teachers develop essential learning outcomes for their classes and
also focus on the backwards design model where teachers are planning with the end goals in mind and in doing so, building
assessment into their unit and lesson planning from the beginning.
Essential Elements of Learning - Surrey School District
Q&A Assessment - Richmond School District
Navigating Shifting Structures - Richmond School District
Keep it REAL - Richmond School District
Planning for Learning - Richmond School District
Unit Planning Model - Richmond School District
12Standards-Based Assessment and Learning Maps - as the Ministry of Education moves towards more competency-
based curriculum and assessment practices and the use of consistent proficiency language, teachers, schools and
districts have begun the work of developing learning maps and pathways to assist teachers with shifting their
assessment practice to a more competency or standards-based approach using proficiency language that focusses on
growth as opposed to the traditional use of letter grades and percentages. Below are just some examples from
different subject areas from a variety of different districts.
ADST
ADST Learning Pathway and Progression - Langley School District
Entrepreneurship and Marketing 10 - Langley School District
Career Education
Careers 8 and 9 Learning Pathways - Langley School District
CLE Learning Map - Langley School District
CLC Learning Map - Langley School District
Languages
French 8 Learning Map - Langley School District
Languages Learning Pathway - Langley School District
Languages Proficiency Rubrics - West Vancouver School District
Language Arts
English Composition 10 Learning Profile - Surrey School District
Language Arts Learning Pathway - Langley School District
English 12 Midterm and Final reflection - West Vancouver School District
Math
Math 8 Report Card - Surrey School District
Math Learning Pathway - Langley School District
Science
Science 6-12 Learning Pathway -Langley School District
Science 8 Point of Progress - Surrey School District
Chem 11 - Proficiency based Unit Test #1 - West Vancouver School District
Chem 11 - Proficiency based Unit Test #2 - West Vancouver School District
Social Studies
Social Studies Learning Pathway - Langley School District
Socials Studies 8/9 Curricular Competencies self- Burnaby School District
Humanities
Humanities 8 - Surrey School District
13Formative Assessment - for learning and as learning - as part of the
shift towards using more formative assessment practices that are
more meaningful for students and ongoing, many districts are shifting
to the use of digital portfolios to capture and share student learning.
This also includes for student Core Competency reflection. Below
districts will find examples of how some districts are using digital
portfolios to communicate student learning on an ongoing, timely
basis as well as tools for teachers to use to track learning through a
portfolio.
Communicating Student Learning Digitally - Richmond School District
Digital Portfolio Checklist - Surrey School District
Digital Portfolio: Areas of Learning Tracker - Surrey School District
Core Competency self-reflection and results - West Vancouver School District
Core Competency Self-Assessment for Humanities 9 - Langley School District
Student Growth Mindset Reflection - Langley School District
Proficiency Scale and Classroom Assessment Frameworks - as the Ministry of Education moves to the use of a common
proficiency language, schools and school districts are working on developing tools to assist students, teachers and
parents with understanding what is actually meant by the terms Emerging, Developing, Proficient and Extending. The
examples below have been developed by school districts as tools that can be used in the classroom or with parents to
help explain the proficiency language as schools are making the shift towards using this language more explicitly in
classrooms.
Driving Proficiency - English - Richmond School District
Driving Proficiency - French - Richmond School District
Proficiency Scale Poster - English - Langley School District
Proficiency Scale Poster - French - Langley School District
Proficiency Scale Minecraft Example - Langley School District
14Triangulation of Learning Evidence: Observation, Conversation, Product - one of the major challenges Secondary
teachers found with assessing student learning during the pandemic and remote learning was that they were not able
to rely on traditional assessment tools to gather evidence (tests, quizzes, assignments). This experience has created
the opportunity to shift the assessment conversation to bring the focus of assessment to looking at a body of evidence
of student learning. The documents below provide teachers assistance and guidance with determining the myriad of
factors and evidence that can be used as part of the assessment of student learning including observations,
conversations and products.
Student Evidence of Learning (EOL) - Langley School District
Triangulating Evidence of Student Learning - Surrey School District
Responsive Instruction - Surrey School District
Professional Judgement - as teachers shifted their assessment practice to include the use of proficiency language and
the triangulation of student evidence, the next challenge was to reconcile how to use that evidence and information when
still required to produce a final letter grade or percentage on a summative report. The documents below were designed
to assist teachers with tools and strategies to assist them with this work and allow them to use their professional
judgement to arrive at a summative assessment for each student.
“Bin It” “Convert It” Strategy - Langley School District
Professional Judgement, Proficiency & Summative Assessment - Richmond School District
Reporting Student Learning - these documents below focus specifically on the reporting out of student
progress to parents.
Gearing Up for Reporting - Richmond School District
Sample Standards based report card (IB MYP)-West Vancouver School District
Assessment remains a continued conversation and effort in seeking continual improvement. The pandemic did not initiate
this work by any means but once again revealed we still have a long way to go. This work was an opportunity to provide a
collection of outstanding resources and thinking that is happening in many districts in the Metro Vancouver area. These
should be shared widely to celebrate and encourage a better assessment experience for both teachers and students.
15Blended Learning
COVID-19 has been a driver for change in high schools. Schools
were forced to adapt to support remote learning in the Spring of
2020, and by fall of 2020 most high schools adopted entirely new
models to manage the requirements for cohorts. One such change
was an increase in the number of classes delivered in a “hybrid” or
“blended” format that could allow for smaller numbers of students to
be in “in person” at any one time. For example, a class of 30 could be
delivered in a way that has 15 students face to face, while the other
15 students learn remotely, and then alternating between the two
groups.
The intent of this group is to survey the various models of “blended
learning” happening across the Metro Vancouver districts in the hope
that we might arrive at some recommended “best practices” for
classes that take into account both pedagogical and structural
considerations. The lens is one that transcends COVID and could Blended learning is an approach to
forever impact how we offer high school. learning that combines face-to-face and
online learning experiences. Ideally, each
(both online and off) will complement
Like any good data collection, it's imperative to consider both the other by using its particular strength.
qualitative and quantitative data. In addition it's also important to
look at all impacted by blended learning: educators, parents and
most important, students both in terms of their perspectives and
learning outcomes. Many of the current “blended” classes are new
and as such, we want to be mindful that negative experiences may be
the result of many things including inexperience, inconsistent
platforms, poor design, and teaching styles, etc.
16Before collecting any data, we already had some hunches and hypothesis about the experience of our new blended and hybrid
environments. It was important to articulate these and compare them with our actual findings.
Hunches
Good, consistent digital platforms are key (G Suite, MS Teams, Moodle, etc.)
Design matters (alternating days? How much time in person? alternating groups?
Flipped classroom? Class culture)
Some courses may be better suited to blended than others
Some teachers may be better suited to blended than others
Some students/families will prefer the option to choose blended learning for
some or all classes if available
That we can arrive at some “recommendations” around best practice
(pedagogically and structurally)
We collected data from the following districts: Burnaby,
Chilliwack, Langley, Richmond, Sea to Sky, Vancouver, and
West Vancouver and looked at their various implementations
and the survey each had collected. Knowing that each had
used different techniques, forms and collection protocols
made it more difficult to collate but nonetheless, there were
many commonalities and trends that emerged. Based on that
we have identified the following recommendations and
considerations for districts to utilize as they prepare for the
2020-21 school year. We invite you to use this as a checklist
in building optimal learning environments.
17Recommendations
Consider the broader implications/possibilities that blended learning options
might offer with respect to how we “do school” now and in the future
Blended, if offered, should be a “choice” for staff and students
Have an underlying reason (The WHY) - flexibility, personalization, learning
style, etc.
We should not dismiss blended options in future as a result of reactions to the
“emergency quarter system” blended option we have now
Thoughtful design is paramount (The HOW), especially around how the f2f (face
to face) and remote times are used and scheduled.
The following should be carefully considered:
Size and frequency of f2f
Personalization and differentiation (one could increase/decrease required
f2f time based on individual needs, for example)
Using an Inquiry-based, Project-based and/or Constructivist approach
Expectations for the remote times
Expectations for the f2f times
Examples include Flipped classroom
Consistent and capable school district supported digital platforms are vital (G
Suite, MS Teams) with need for video-conferencing and workflows
Security and privacy must be prioritized and FIPPA compliant
Centralized (provincial) database of approved IT/software/app vendors.
Saves duplicating the work in multiple places
IT departments should be consulted and on-board
Equity considerations are critical. Think about access to technology and
opportunity, etc.
Blended learning may be used to address issues of inequity
19You can also read
